Pylon complaints spark at meeting

POLITICIANS and residents have had their say on controversial proposals for pylons across the Menai Strait.

A lively meeting of town and community councillors in Llangefni, organised by One Voice Wales, unanimously opposed National Grid’s preferred option to connect Wylfa B and the proposed Rhiannon wind farm.

Councillor Hanna Huws, of Llanfairpwll Community Council, proposed that the consultation process was flawed.

She said: “The questionnaire was structured in such a way that it made it difficult for people to express the view that they were against pylons and in favour of the subsea option.”

One Voice Wales Arfon/Dwyfor Area Committee chairman Cllr Hywel Roberts, said Scottish Power was also consulting on its investment plans for 2015-2023 and that Celtic Array were consulting on the plans to bring electricity from the Rhiannon development.

The meeting unanimously supported his motion to write to SP Energy Networks to call for more existing cables underground, and in the event that the company would distribute electricity from any proposed onshore wind farms, that the cables should be underground.

The meeting also agreed to write to Celtic Array to say that the distribution from Anglesey from the Rhiannon wind farm, and any other offshore wind farm, should be by subsea cables.

Cllr Roberts added: “It’s important that there is joined-up thinking on these planning issues and we must inform all the relevant bodies of our strong opposition to any additional pylons.”

All these views will be passed to the National Grid and also to the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, the MPs for Anglesey and Gwynedd, Albert Owen and Hywel Williams, the AMs Ieuan Wyn Jones and Alun Ffred Jones and the North Wales regional AMs.

National Grid senior project manager Mike Knisey said: “We have organised exhibitions across Anglesey and in Gwynedd where residents can find information about our proposals, tell us what they think of our strategic option, the routes we have identified and provide us with information about areas they feel are particularly sensitive or important.

“We hope as many people as possible visit our exhibitions and take part in this first stage of consultation.”